No Matter How Long It Takes
by ShortGirlWithAPen
Summary: Daryl comes back after finding Merle and has a conversation with Carol about it. Spoilers for Season 3, rated for implied death.


**Disclaimer- I don't own TWD or any of its characters!**

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Carol always found it strange that Daryl never seemed to want to rest for any amount of time. Most of the time, though, she just figured that he thought that he needed to make sure of everything, that everyone was alright. To her, there always seemed to be so much to do, no matter how much they had done that day. There was always one more person to protect, one more walker to kill, and one more animal to gut. Carol had also noticed that Merle did the same thing when it came to Daryl, that there was something he could do that would assure that his brother was safe, that they would be together for just one more day. It was because of this fact alone that she knew that while Merle didn't have any loyalty to the group, he did have loyalty to Daryl.

Still, even without the fact that she had been watching over him like she had been, Carol would've been able to tell that there was something up with Daryl. They all knew that he was supposed to come back with Merle, that there were supposed to be two people coming back rather than one, but he was alone and refused to look at anyone. He immediately went to the cell that he was hardly ever in, without even saying a word to anyone. Carol waited a few minutes before heading to his cell, pausing by the doorway to make sure that it was alright for her to be there, to make sure that he would accept her presence. Daryl just looked at her for a second before nodding, returning his gaze to the floor. She walks into the cell, sitting beside him on the cot, making sure not to sit too close.

"He's gone." Daryl whispers after a long moment, his voice so quiet that if it wasn't for the near silence that was going over the prison, Carol wasn't sure she would have even heard it. "He had to go and-" Daryl leaves off there, shaking his head slightly. He still hadn't looked at her since the second where he had before she had entered. He was leaning forward, arms resting on his legs.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Carol tells him, looking over at him. She sees the way that Daryl is messing with his hands, how he barely looks at her, as if ashamed of what all had gone on.

"But I need to, don't I?" Daryl asks, finally looking over at her. Carol couldn't help but bite her lip at the look of his eyes, the hurt that showed in them. "Because that's the only way I can get the thoughts out of my head? Because it's the only way to deal with the fact that I had to kill my own brother?" His hands clench into fists as he closes his eyes tightly. He didn't need to be allowing what he was thinking and feeling come to the surface; he needed to stay calm and focus on what was happening right then and there. "You know I can't get it to stop."

"Yeah, I know this." Carol whispers, cautiously inching closer to him, taking his hands in hers, looking at him. "Daryl, you may need to express yourself sometimes, but that's only when you're ready to. None of us are going to force you into that, I promise." She ran her thumbs over the backs of his hands, still looking at him. "Especially not me, because I know this, I know losing family, and being forced to talk is not going to help anything at all." Daryl simply nods at her, opening his eyes to meet hers. "We all want you to be okay, you know and I'm sure we're all willing to help you with this."

Daryl nods at her, still looking at her. He doesn't say a word for a long moment, wanting to say something but all words failing him. Instead, he pulls a hand away from hers to place it on her shoulder, leaning his forehead on hers. It was then that Carol realized exactly how much he was trying to get used to people being close to him, at least close enough for touch. The Daryl she had known when they first met wouldn't have done such a thing, so it really must've either been that he was getting used to it or that he trusted her, though she knew that it could very well be a mixture of both. Either way, she was glad for this sort of change, especially from him.

"Carol.." Daryl whispers quietly, his eyes still meeting hers. It was obvious that he wasn't completely okay, not even in the slightest, but she really didn't expect him to be from just one conversation. "Don't leave me, please."

"I won't. Not until you want me to." Carol responds quietly, her hands laying flat against his chest. She could feel his heart beating, the steadiness that had been able to calm her on more than one occasion. "I'm not going to just leave you. If you trust me on anything, trust me on that."

When Carol meets Daryl's eyes once again, she could see how tired he was, and how much more tired he was now than he was when the conversation had begun, so she gets him to lay down, running a hand through his hair as she lays next to him. "Still want me to stay?" she asks quietly, only getting a slight nod in response. She smiles a bit at him as he closes his eyes.

Daryl has an arm around her, his hand tightened into a fist against her back. He still has his eyes closed, but it was obvious that he was forcing himself to stay calm at that moment. The thought of him being so hurt about his brother's death broke her heart but it made her more determined to be there, to make it known to him that she was there and willing to listen to him. He sighs softly as he falls asleep, his hand still a fist on her back. She stays like she was, curling against him, her head against his chest. She fell asleep a few moments later, a small smile on her face. Maybe it wouldn't happen suddenly, but she was determined to see him be better after this, no matter how long it took.


End file.
